Dakota Territory

The Dakota Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that was created from Nebraska and other unorganized territories on 2 March 1861. The land had been ceded to the US by France as a part of the Louisiana Territory in 1803, and several forts were established in the territory to protect traffic along the Missouri River. From 1870 to 1880, the Yankee population boomed as white settlers moved into the area in response to a gold rush in the Black Hills, and the Great Sioux War of 1876 resulted in the defeat of the Sioux and the consolidation of US control over the region. In 1883, the capital was moved from Yankton to Bismarck, which was named in honor of Otto von Bismarck by the Northern Pacific Railway. In 1863, Idaho split off from the territory, followed by Wyoming in 1868; on 2 November 1889, North Dakota and South Dakota were both granted statehood.